Necticut



W. H. STEDMAN.

NEEDLE CLAMP.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 10. 1913.

1 1 95,865 Patented Aug. 22, 1916.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. STEDMAN, 0F HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE MERROW MACHINE COMPANY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CON- NEOTICUT.

NEEDLE-CLAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. STEDMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Needle-Clamps; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the figures and letters of reference thereon.

My invention relates to improvements in sewing machine needle clamps and has for its object to provide an improved'device for centering and clamping sewing machine needles, that is of simple design, that is reliable and accurate in its action and that permits of the ready insertion and removal of the needle.

My invention consists in certain novel and useful combinations of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings :-Figure 1 is an elevation of the needle carrier of a Merrow overseaming machine, showing a 'needle held and centered by a needle clamp embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is an elevation taken from the left of Fig. 1, some of the parts being shown in section on the line 2-2 of the said Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. 1, showing some of the parts in section on the line 3-3 of; the said Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a view, in the same elevation as the Fig. 1, of a portion of the needle carrier alone, showing details in the construction of this portion of the carrier that form a part of my invention. Fig. 5' is a section on the line 55 of the Fig. 1, showing the manner of clamping the needle. Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of the Fig. 1, showing the manner of engagement of the projections on the clamp plate with the cooperating recesses in the carrier head. Fig. 7 is a view of the clamp plate alone, showing the same in an elevation opposite to that in which it is shown in Fig. 1, thereby disclosing the inner face of the said clamp plate. Fig. 8 is an elevation of the clamp plate, looking from the right hand side of the Fig. 7 and showlng the clamp plate in an elevation substantlally corresponding to that in which the said plate is shown in section in the Fig. 2.

Like characters of reference throughout the several figures of the drawings indicate the same parts.

Referring to the drawings, wherein I have shown an embodiment of my invention as applied to the needle carrier of a Merrow overseaming sewing machine: The numeral 1 indicates a needle carrier of this type which is adapted to be pivoted at the taper bore l 1n the hub 1 and which is adapted to be actuated through the stud 1. The upper portion or head 2 of this carrier, (see Figs. 2, 3 and 4), is constructed to embody certain elements of the present invention.

Referring in detail to the embodiment of my invention shown: The head 2 is provided with an ear 2 for receiving the stop pin 3, and the stud or bolt 4 passes through the bore 2 in the head 2 of the carrier which bore is counterbored at 2 for the reception of the head 4 of the bolt 4. The face 2, 2, from which the body portion 4 of the bolt,4 emerges, is divided into the sections or faces 2 and 2 by the straight recess 2, 2 which recess is preferably of rectangular cross section and is divided into the sections or recesses 2 and 2 by the bore 2. The body portion 4 and the head 4 of the bolt 4 fit snugly in the bore 2 and the counterbored recess 2 respectively, (see Figs. 2 and 3) and the head 4 of the bolt 4 is provided with an integral projection 4 that fits snugly in the indentation made in the circumference of the recess 2 by the hole 2 (see Figs. 1, 2 and 4).

The projection 4 holds the bolt 4 in fixed relation with the carrier 1, preventing rotationof the bolt and holding the bore 4, which forms a needle passage through the said bolt, in alinement with the alined grooves 5, 5' of the clamp plate 5. The alined projections 5, 5 are preferably rectangular in cross section and are adapted to enter and engage the recesses 2, 2 as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 6 and hold the clamp plate against rotative movement on the axis of Patented Aug. 22, 1916.

the bore 5 and thus prevent the angular displacement and effect the angular locating of the grooves 5 The projections 5 5 like the recess 2 2 are virtually a single projection divided into the sections 5 and 5 by the bore 5. These projections are shown disposed at right angles to the grooves 5 5 and the recesses 2 2 The projections 5, 5 and the grooves 55, 5 are shown extending across the bores 2 and 5 respectively, as this arrangement has been found to be convenient and desirable for this particular embodiment of the present invention.

The bore 5-- through the plate 5 is made to fit loosely over the body a and the threaded portion at of the bolt 4 as is best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, thus overcoming the undesirable tendency of the plate 5 to stick or bind on the bolt l and also permitting the free action of the conical or tapered recess 5, which recess is preferably concentric with the bore 5", and the conical or tapered portion a of the nut N, which two elements, as is shown in Figs. 2 and 3, cooperate to center the clamp plate 5 and thus effect the lateral and longitudinal locating of the grooves 5 5 To facilitate the inserting of the needle shank (Z in the clamp, the outer end of the groove 5 is beveled as shown at 5 in the Figs. 1, 3, 7 and 8, and the edge of the face 2 that is opposite to the beveled portion 5 of the groove 5 is beveled as shown at 2 in Figs. 1, 3 and 4.

The bevel 2 on the head 2, the bevel 5 on the plate 5 and the notch 5 in the top of the projection 5 are provided to form the V groove 9 between the plate 5 and the head 2 shown in Fig. 2, when the clamp is assembled. This groove deflects the thread if the thread is slightly loose and holds the same in central alinement with the needle D and prevents the thread from becoming entangled with or abraded by the clamp.

The shank of the needle to be clamped is inserted in the clamp as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 5. \Vhen the nut N is tightened, the conical portion a settling into the cooperating recess 5 in the clamp plate as it forces the said clamp plate toward the head 2 centers the clamp plate and the grooves 5 5 therein and holds the plate and the grooves in parallelism with the faces 2 2 on the head 2. Sufficient clearance must be allowed between the inner face 5 of the clamp plate and the faces 2 2 and between the tops of the projections 5 5 and the bottoms of the cooperating recesses 2, 2 as is shown in Figs. 2, 3, 5 and 6, to permit the forcing of the clamp plate toward the head 2 by the nut N to pinch the needle between the grooves 5 5 and the faces 2, 2 the slabbed face (Z of the needle shank being thus clamped against the faces 2 2 as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 5. Therefore when the needle is inserted with its end abutting the stop pin 3, as shown, and the nut N is ti htened the rooves 5 5 and the faces 2 t) 7 b 7 2 cooperating with the round portion of the shank cl and the slabbed face (Z respectively, simultaneously center and clamp the needle.

The grooves 5*, 5 are made to fit accurately around the needle shank (Z, and to provide the grooves with draft or clearance whereby the sticking of the needle shank therein is insured against, the depth of the grooves 5 5 is preferably made somewhat less than half their diameter 2'. 6. their depth is less than the radius of the curvature of a transverse cross section of one of the said grooves as shown in Fig. 5. The depth and form of the said groove or grooves 5*, 5", may also be noted from Figs. 7 and 8. If, however, a V groove is preferred to a semicircular groove for clamping and centering the needle shank, it is obvious that a V groove may be substituted for the grooves 5 5*.

Owing to the draft provided the grooves 5, 5 and owing to the clearance provided between the bore 5 and the bolt 4:, when the nut N is loosened, thus withdrawing the conical portion a from the recess 5, the plate 5 is immediately free or loose and the needle, thereby released, may be readily withdrawn or removed.

The projections 5, 5, by engaging the recesses 2, 2 provide .a particularly well adapted means for alining the grooves 5, 5 andholding the same against displacement about the aXis of the bolt 4. Such displacement is liable to be caused by the nut N, which has a tendency to carry the plate 5 with it, especially when the last tightening strain is applied to the nut or when beginning to loosen it.

The needle clamp thus described is compact, simple and durable in its construction, its clamping action is positive and its centering qualities are accurate.

The clamp is of a practical design suitable to manufacture and its parts are of such a nature as to enable them to be hardened and to be ground where desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a needle clamp for sewing machines, the combination of a carrier for the clamp, a clampplate having a needle groove and a conical recess therein, a nut having a conical portion coiiperating with the said conical recess in the clamp plate, a bolt cooperating with said nut and provided with a needle passage, means for maintaining a single definite position of the bolt with relation to the carrier, and means for preventing rotative movement of the clamp plate in either direction with relation to the carrier whereby the needle may be simultaneously centered and clamped.

2. In a needle clamp for sewing machines, 55 the combination of a carrier for the clamp,

a clamp plate having a needle groove and a conical recess therein, a nut having a coni cal portion cooperating with the said conical recess in the clamp plate, a bolt coopere ating with the said nut, means for maintaining a single definite position of the bolt with relation to the carrier and means for preventing the rotative movement of the clamp plate in either direction with relation to the carrier: whereby the needle may be simultaneously centered and clamped.

3. In a needle clamp for sewing machines, the combination of a carrier having a portion against a face of which the needle is clamped, a bolt passing through the said portion and projecting from the said face thereof, a circular head on the said bolt, the said head having a lateral integral projection on the periphery thereof, a circular 5 recess 111 the carrier for receiving the head of the bolt, an indentation in the circumference of the said recess for receiving the projection on the bolt head, whereby the bolt is held against rotative movement, a grooved clamp plate encircling the bolt, a nut cooperating with the said bolt to force the clamp plate toward the face on the carrier against which the needle is clamped, means for centering the clamp plate and means for holding the same against rotative movement.

4. In a needle clamp for sewing machines, the combination of a carrier having a bore therethrough, a recess in the carrier extending across the said bore, a clamp plate having a bore therethrough, a projection on the said clamp plate extending radially with relation to the bore in the said plate, a bolt passing through the bores in the carrier and in the clamp plate respectively and having a needle passage therein and means interposed between the bolt and the clamp plate whereby the clamp plate is simultaneously centered and forced against the carrier, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

WILLIAM H. STEDMAN. Witnesses:

W. A. W. STEWART, GEORGE ALLEN PAGE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

